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MOHAMED MORSI. This file photo taken on June 18, 2016 shows Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, wearing a red uniform, gesturing from behind the defendant's bars during his trial on espionage charges at a court in Cairo. File photo by Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP

CAIRO, Egypt – A top Egyptian court upheld on Saturday, September 16, a life sentence for ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in a case revolving around state documents leaked to Qatar, a judicial official said.

The Court of Cassation ruling, which is final, overthrew a 15-year sentence for Morsi on charges of stealing the documents, handed during the initial sentencing.

But it upheld a life sentence – 25 years in prison in Egypt – on the charge of leading an illegal organization, his lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsud told the Agence France-Presse.

The ruling came after lawyers appealed the initial 2016 sentencing.

The court also upheld death sentences for three other defendants, a life sentence and a 15-year sentence for two others.

The trial hinged on accusations that the defendants had passed on state secrets to Qatar, an ally of Morsi's Islamist government that has denounced his 2013 overthrow by the military.

Qatar has denied the charges.

Hundreds of Morsi supporters were killed during protests following his ouster. Thousands of others were detained in a crackdown that was later expanded to include leftist and liberal dissidents.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has been blacklisted as a terrorist group. – Rappler.com

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).